Hong Xue noticed that her father looked strange and asked hurriedly: "What's wrong?"
Hong Yi made a silent gesture, then stood up and came to the table next to him.
There was a man in his forties sitting at this table. He didn't say a word, and he didn't drink tea. His eyes just fell on the tea tray in front of him.
Hong Xue had the habit of observing the environment. When he first entered the tea house, he noticed this person, but Hong Xue didn't think much about it. He just thought that this person was worried and probably thinking about something.
When Hong Yi sat over, Hong Xue realized that this man was a bit strange.
In the center of the tea tray in front of him, there was a teapot and a tea bowl next to it. Outside the tea tray, there was another tea bowl, both of which were filled with tea.
He was alone from beginning to end, as if he was waiting for someone, and the teapot and tea bowls were arranged neatly, forming a standard triangle, which made Hong Xue suspect that he was a bit mysophobic.
Hong Yi looked at the other party for a long time, raised his hand to pick up the tea bowl outside, and slowly placed it on the tea tray. Hong Yi placed it very orderly, with the teapot still in the middle, and the two tea bowls, one on each side, equidistant from the teapot. Three points form a straight line.
After a while, Hong Yi raised the tea bowl he had just put down with both hands and saluted the other party: "Please,"
The other party looked at Hong Yi, was stunned for a moment, and then quickly raised it: "Please,"
Immediately afterwards, the two drank the tea in the cup. When they put down the cup, the other party said slowly: "There is a universe in Muyang City, and loyalty depends on a little Hong."
Hong Yi followed up by saying: "Today my sworn brother is here for questioning. Don't treat your sworn brother as an outsider."
The other party was surprised, so he hurriedly put the tea tray aside, took out the teapot and the tea bowl that Hong Yi had just used, he put the spout of the spout facing Hong Yi, put the tea bowl under the spout, then slowly poured a cup of tea, and made He made a gesture of invitation: "I traveled alone to the end of the world and suffered all the dust to come here."
Hong Yi drank the tea completely and said to him: "The golden dragon of transformation meets Taiji, and the protector ascends the throne and sits on the Zen platform."
The other party nodded vigorously, his expression was quite excited, and there was even a trace of tears in his eyes. After a moment, he made a fist with his right hand, his thumb pointed upward, and his little finger pointed downward, placing it in the center of his chest. Then, he put it in the center of his chest. The index finger slowly stretched out and was parallel to the ground: "Expel the Tartars and keep the Han here."
Hong Yi also made the same gesture: "Once you enter Hongmen, you will always be brothers."
The other party nodded vigorously, cupped his fists with both hands and bowed to Hong Yi: "Li Jiye, the white paper fan of the general gate of Hongmen,"
Hong Yi also bowed to the other party: "Hong Yi, the leader of Ge Lao Hui Zhi Zi Hall,"
"When I came to the mainland this time, I was looking for Zhizitang..." The other party looked at Hong Yi, tears streaming down his face, and his expression was desolate: "I have been sitting here for more than a month, and no one paid attention to me. I thought, Our Hongmen has been completely destroyed in the mainland... I didn't expect that I finally met the Hongmen brothers,"
"Where do brothers come from,"
"North America,"
"May I ask for anything?" Before the other party could say anything, Hong Xue kept tugging on Hong Yi's clothes: "Dad, dad..."
"What's wrong,"
Hong Xue was confused and couldn't figure out what her father was playing with this man. She winked at Hong Yi and motioned to go aside.
"This is my little girl Hong Xue. Let's have a few words. Brothers, sit down first..." Hong Yi introduced Li Jiye, then stood up and came to the side with Hong Xue: "Don't you understand?"
"Yes," Hong Xue nodded vigorously: "This person is mysterious and mysterious, he can't be a gay, right?"
"Nonsense," Hong Yi glared at Hong Xue: "He is a Hongmen brother,"
"How did you know,"
"Hongmen has a whole set of code words, and a very important part of it is the teacup array. Different ways of placing teapots and teacups can express different meanings..." Hong Yi looked around and saw that no one was paying attention. He told Hong Xue: "The teacup formation has three steps, first setting up the formation, then breaking the formation, and finally reciting a poem. If all three are matched, they are the Hongmen brothers."
"What he just set up was a teacup array,"
"That's right," Hong Yi nodded: "The first formation he set up was the Kiba formation to test whether the other party was from the same sect. The second formation was a solo formation for calling for help. When I broke the formation, I just drank "Have tea" means that it can be saved. If it cannot be saved, just throw away the original tea, pour another cup and drink it."
"So that's what happened..." Hong Xue nodded in understanding: "It turns out that Hongmen is not dead yet,"
"Don't talk nonsense," Hong Yi glared at Hong Xue, and then said: "I'll take this opportunity to teach you some knowledge. Each system in Hongmen has a teacup formation, and there are some differences between them. However, the formation he put up is a basic formation. All systems have it. In fact, relying on other code words and gestures, two people can explain everything clearly, but these code words and gestures are too different, just like our Bashu dialect and Northeast dialect. Their boss and our elder brother can do it. I don’t understand what the other person means,”
"Oh," Hong Xue saw that her father was a little unhappy, so she straightened her attitude: "You two were making gestures just now,"
"This gesture is also the most basic. It is different from other sets of sign languages and has a long history. It has been passed down from the Qing Dynasty. Two fingers are raised up and down, which means 'Heavenly Father and Earthly Mother'. One finger is raised flat, which means 'Reverse.'" Qing Fu Ming',"
"He said he was... some kind of white paper fan,"
"A position in Hongmen is equivalent to a military advisor," Hong Yi said, turned around, and said to Li Jiye with emotion: "How many years have passed, and I have never seen anyone setting up a tea cup array."
Li Jiye let out a long sigh: "I didn't expect that there are still people in mainland China who remember how to set up the tea cup array,"
"For more than half a century, we brothers have been cut off from other Hongmen organizations. When the reform and opening up was just beginning, I thought that Hongmen would all come back. Who knew that after so many years, there is still no news..."
"This is mainly because the general sect does not agree with the mainland's system. What's more, in the past many years, I don't know what Hongmen has been like in mainland China." After a pause, Li Jiye shook his head helplessly: "Brothers can also imagine that today the general sect Everyone, including my brother, grew up abroad. We don’t know much about the situation on the mainland. The mainland has undergone earth-shaking changes in recent years, and it is a completely unfamiliar environment for us..."
"Then why did brother come here this time?"
"I was about to say this..." Li Jiye drank a cup of tea by himself and checked to see if anyone around him was paying attention: "The mainland's economy is developing well, and the situation in all aspects is considered stable. The general manager is finally considering returning. I just want to find someone." Before we get started, years ago, we heard that in Bashu, there were brothers from Ge Lao Hui Zhi Zi Tang who had changed their appearance and hid themselves, so we sent a group of brothers and I to come over to contact us. However, we visited teahouses and restaurants but could not find any trace of Hongmen. The trace of brother was also at this time..."
If you want to realize Hongmen's purpose of revitalizing China, it is actually the same abroad, but it is best to come to China. What's more, people today are pursuing profits. If Hongmen wants to do business and make money, they must not let go of the mainland market.
Now, other organizations are ready to move on the mainland, but the Chinese people's own organization is stranded on the other side of the ocean. It really doesn't make sense.
It’s just that Hongmen is different from other organizations or pure enterprises. If you want to return to the mainland, you must rely on the power of your fellow sects. So Hong Yi figured out Hongmen’s intentions. When Li Jiye said this, he had an ominous premonition: "problem occurs,"
"Yes," Li Jiye nodded, and then looked around cautiously: "Some people of unknown origin suddenly appeared to hunt us down. All the brothers died, and I was the only one who escaped..."
"who,"
Li Jiye shook his head painfully: "I don't know..."
"Then how did you come to Minghai?"
"At that time, I heard that some Sichuan people had come to Minghai to make a living, and I thought there might be Hongmen brothers among them, so I fled to Minghai and found this place where Sichuan people often come..."
"Have you contacted the general manager?"
"No," Li Jiye said, lowering his head, looking very embarrassed: "I accepted an important task and came to the mainland, but I couldn't find even a single clue, and I was hunted down here. How could I have the face to ask for help from the general manager... ….”
"No wonder you formed a formation here to ask for help." Hong Yi nodded thoughtfully, and then asked: "Where are the people who are chasing you now? Have they ever followed you?"
"They have been looking for me..." Li Jiye finally breathed a sigh of relief after saying this: "However, they don't know that I have come to Minghai and should still be in Bashu."
"Since we are Hongmen brothers, your business is my business," Hong Yi nodded vigorously and told the other party: "Don't worry, I will ensure your safety and find out who harmed my fellow sect."
"Okay," Li Jiye was quite moved: "It's all thanks to you, brother."
"Easy to say," Hong Yi stood up, looked around, and told Hong Xue, "Go home."
Li Jiye stayed in a small hotel nearby. Hong Yi went over to help pack his luggage, and then took Li Jiye home: "Nowhere is as safe as here. Brother, please stay here with peace of mind."
"Okay..." Li Jiye sat down and took a long breath: "After so many days, I finally feel a little safe..."
"Hongmen has been away from the mainland for more than a year. It is said that he has neither friends nor rivals..." Hong Yi took out the tea set and brewed tea: "Brother, have you ever thought about why these people are chasing you?"
"These people..." Li Jiye said slowly in a long voice, "Maybe it's your brother who knows how to do it."
Hong Yi's hand shook and he almost spilled the tea: "What?"
"I was once captured by them. A very vicious-looking man asked me if I came to see Ge Lao Hui Zhi Zi Tang. I said 'yes'..."
"Then what,"
"He said something, on the day when Li Zi returns, when Zhi Zi will perish, then he told me viciously to wait for the people from Zhi Zi Tang to save him, and then turned around and left..." Recalling what happened that day, Li Jiye still I still have lingering fears: "I was locked in a small dark room. For two days, I didn't have any teeth. I almost lost my life..."